NATURAL VEGETATION

AND WILDLIFE

Made by : Altamash Khan

 Natural vegetation
❖Natural vegetation refers to a
plant community which has
grown naturally without human
aid & has been left undistributed
by humans for a long time.
❖ This is termed as a virgin
vegetation.
❖Thus, cultivated crops and
fruits, orchards form part of
vegetation but not natural
vegetation
 ECOSYSTEM
• All the plants & animals in an area are interdependent
& interrelated to each other in their physical
environment, thus, forming an ecosystem.
• Human beings are also integral part o the ecosystem .
• The human beings utilize the vegetation and wildlife.
• A very large ecosystem on land having distinct
types of vegetation & animal life is called a biome.
• The biomes are identified on the basis of plants.
 TYPES OF VEGETATION
The following major types of vegetation may be
identified in our country-
• TROPICAL EVERGREEN FORESTS
• TROPICAL DECIDUOUS FORESTS
• TROPICAL THORN FORESTS AND SCRUBS
• MONTANE FORESTS
• MANGROVE FORESTS
 Some Facts
• India is one of the 12
mega diversity
countries of the world.
• Four Biodiversity
Hotspots are present in
India 16 major forest
groups are present in
India.
• India is also very rich in
agro diversity.
 TROPICAL EVERGREEN FORESTS
• TROPICAL EVERGREEN FORESTS OCCUR IN REGIONS OF
VERY HEAVY RAINFALL [ MORE THAN 200CM PER YEAR ] .
• THESE FORESTS ARE VERY DENSE.
• THEY HAVE MAINLY EVERGREEN TREES, WHICH DO NOT
SHED THEIR LAVES ACROSS SEASONS .
• HENCE THEY REMAIN GREEN THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
• THE WESTERN GHATS AND THE WESTERN COAST ,
PARTS OF WEST BENGAL AND ORRISA , THE NORTH-
EASTERN STATES AND THEANDAMAN AND NICOBAR
ISLANSHANE SUCH VEGETATIONS.
• MAHOGANY, CINCHONA AND WILD RUBBER ARE SOME OF
THE COMMERCIALLY IMPORTANT HARDWOOD TREES THAT
GROW IN THESE AREAS . BAMBOO ALSO GROW HERE.
 Tropical deciduous forests
• Tropical Deciduous Forest is also known as monsoon
forest.
• It is the most common type of forest in India.
• It occurs over a large part of the country where the
annual rainfall varies between 100cm and 200cm.
• Deciduous trees shed their leaves in the
beginning of summer.
• Forests of teak, sal, palash, peepal, rosewood,
sandalwood, ebony and shisham occur in the wetter
parts of the Deccan plateau and the northern plains,
right upto the foothills of the Himalyas. Bamboo, too,
grows in these regions
 TYPES OF DECIDUOUS FORESTS
⮚ Dry deciduous
forests

⮚ Moist deciduous
forests
THE THORN FORESTS AND SCRUBS
In regions with less than 70 cm of rainfall, the
natural vegetation consists of thorny trees and
bushes. This type of vegetation is found in the
north-western part of the country, including
semi-arid areas of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya
Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh and
Haryana. Acacias, palms, euphorbia's and cacti
are the main plant species. Trees are scattered
and have long roots penetrating deep into the
Soil in order to get moisture. The stems are
succulent to conserve water. Leaves are mostly
thick and small to minimize evaporation.
These forests give way to thorn forests and
scrubs in arid areas.
 MANGROVE FORESTS
• MANGROVE FORESTS ARE found in swampy areas
that are constantly washed by seawater during high
tides.
• Such vegetation is found almost all along the eastern
coast, especially in the large deltas formed by river life
the Ganga, Mahanadi , Godavari , Krishna and kaveri.
• The most extensive MANGROVE forest is in the Ganga
–Brahmaputra delta .
• it is called the sundarbans after the sundari, the tree
that grow more abundantly in this region.
• The wood of this tree Is durable and is used to
make boats. Mangroves are also found in the
Andaman and Nicobar islands.
 MONTANE FORESTS
• The vegetation in the mountains varies with altitude.
• In the Himalayas, it ranges from tropical deciduous to
coniferous.
• Coniferous trees such as cedars, pines, and silver fir are
generally found at heights between 1500m to 2500m.
Coniferous trees are often conical in shape.
• Also, most of them bear cones and have needle-
shaped leaves.
• At heights of about 3,000m and above, trees give way
to what is known as alpine vegetation of shrubs and
grasses.
 IMPORTANCE OF FORESTS
• FORESTS ARE RENEWABLE
RESOURSES.
• THEY PLAY A MAJOR ROLE IN
ENHANCING THE QUALITY OF
ENVIRONMENT.
• IT CONTROL SOIL EROSION,
REGULATE STREAM FLOW,
SUPPORTS A VARIETY OF
INDUSTRIES,PROVIDE LIVELIHOOD
FOR MANY COMMUNITIES .
• IT CONTROL WIND FORCE AND
TEMPERATURE AND CAUSES
RAINFALL.
 CONSERVING FORESTS
• Forests are the natural wealth of a country, and
need to be protected.
• At one time forests in india covered a large area.
• But cutting down trees for wood and clearing the
forests for culivation have reduced this cover.
• The loss of forests is called deforestation.
• India needs not only maintain its existing forest
cover but also to increase it.
• This can be done by planting a large
number of trees.
 WILDLIFE
• India is also rich in its fauna. It has more than
89,000 of animal species .
• The country has more than 1200 species of
birds.
• The constitute 13% of the world’s total. There
are 2500 species of fish, which account for
nearly 12% of the world’s stock.
• It also shares between 5 & 8 percent of the
world’s amphibians, reptiles & mammals.
 WHAT GOVERNMENT HAS DONE?

• Financial and technical assistance is provided to

many botanical gardens since 1992.
• Project Tiger , Project Rhino, Project Great Indian
Bustard and many others Eco-developmental
Projects have been introduced.
• 89 National Parks, 490 Wildlife Sanctuaries have
been set up to take care of Natural Heritage
• 14 biosphere reserves have been set up in the
country to protect flora and fauna.
• Financial and technical assistance is provided to
many botanical garden
 MEDICINAL PLANTS IN INDIA

▪ INDIA HAS SOME 2,000 SPECIES OF

PLANTS DESCRIBED IN AYURVEDA.
▪ ABOUT 500 OF THE PLANTS ARE IN
REGULAR USE.
▪ THE COMMONLY USED PLANTS ARE:
• SARPAGANDHA
• JAMUN
• ARJUN
• BABOOL
• NEEM
• TULSI PLANT
• KACHNAR
 CONCLUSION
• All of must realize the importance of the natural
ecosystem for our own survival.
• We should end indiscriminate destruction of natural
environment .